The Great Anthropological Divide.....

Could u ever really know what it's like to be someone else? Could u ever put urself in someone else's shoes? Wonder what it's like to be them?.....

Actors & writers do it all the time. They envision characters, whole heteronyms, each with distinct likes & dislikes. They see people from their daily lives & certain newsworthy figures that end up in novels & plays. One can observe someone u see everyday in a cafe, make up stories about his/her life, but unless u talk to that individual & actually get to know him/her, all u have to go by is what u can deduct or infer from observing him/her. Everyone is a unique individual, and should be treated as so. Those who like to lump & label others does themselves a grave disservice. There is death in the naming. No one wants to be put in a box. Everyone is pluralistic in their perspectives. So many ways to be. Imagine if u can be someone different everyday? Not have to be the same old u everyday. Imagine if u can be free to change as u please. Let ur freak out. Lady Gaga is a great advocate for the idea of "self-play". Like a kid pretending to be a vet then a mommy then a fireman. The sense of "play"---one should never lose it.....And that sense of "play", that kid in all of us, is what makes us all the same .....

I can feel random people's pain, sense their weaknesses, know what they'll do before they do. You feel bombarded. It can be exhausting, and no, rare is the time that stepping into another person's private universe is a rewarding experience.

ART_DECO saidWhy call it an anthropological divide, as opposed to a sociological divide?

Good question ART_DECO

Anthropology encompasses a grander selection of studies in the humanities which includes sociology .....

I'm aware of that, but the specific areas you cited in the OP seemed more sociological than the broader anthropological, which can include the physical. Nor did I think you were going into the cultural, but if you are, fine.

Elusium saidI can feel random people's pain, sense their weaknesses, know what they'll do before they do. You feel bombarded. It can be exhausting, and no, rare is the time that stepping into another person's private universe is a rewarding experience.

There's actually an author that writes about that. Let me remember....There's even a specific term for "feeling over-sensory bombardment".....Shucks, my early stages of Alzeimers is kicking in cause I can't remember all the references!.....

But yes, I can relate with u because I feel the same way.....

I remember now: google Diane Ackerman---Are We Living In Sensory Overload or Sensory Poverty?

Elusium saidI can feel random people's pain, sense their weaknesses, know what they'll do before they do. You feel bombarded. It can be exhausting, and no, rare is the time that stepping into another person's private universe is a rewarding experience.

Elusium saidI can feel random people's pain, sense their weaknesses, know what they'll do before they do. You feel bombarded. It can be exhausting, and no, rare is the time that stepping into another person's private universe is a rewarding experience.

So are u saying ur kind of like a "mentalist"?.....

No, but if you shine a goose neck lamp on your back and snap a photo, it sure makes you look like one.

Elusium saidI can feel random people's pain, sense their weaknesses, know what they'll do before they do. You feel bombarded. It can be exhausting, and no, rare is the time that stepping into another person's private universe is a rewarding experience.

So are u saying ur kind of like a "mentalist"?.....

No, but if you shine a goose neck lamp on your back and snap a photo, it sure makes you look like one.

ART_DECO saidWhy call it an anthropological divide, as opposed to a sociological divide?

Good question ART_DECO

Anthropology encompasses a grander selection of studies in the humanities which includes sociology .....

I'm aware of that, but the specific areas you cited in the OP seemed more sociological than the broader anthropological, which can include the physical. Nor did I think you were going into the cultural, but if you are, fine.

RJ & the Internet phenomena would be a great study in sociology, cultural anthropology, cultural relativism, ethnography & ethnology .....

Spgem, you would enjoy reading Hans Urs von Balthasar's Theo-Drama I: Prologema, in which he lays the dramatic foundations for his subsequent portrayal of the relationship between man and God as a Play in volumes 2-5. In the Prologema, he discusses every single one of the issues you raised. I think he was probably the smartest man of the 20th century, so his thoughts are well worth a glance. Additionally, in his book "Love Alone is Credible," he defends the thesis that our encounters with other men and God are miracles that we are unable to claim for ourselves and subsume into ourselves.

I will warn you, though - his books aren't for the feint of heart. He is clear and a master of language, but he assumes a great familiarity with Western thought, from Plato to the present day. I have a bit of a difficult time with it because I'm less fluent in the history of western Drama, and he discusses dramatists from every era, and I'm only well-acquainted with the Greek tragedians.

ART_DECO saidWhy call it an anthropological divide, as opposed to a sociological divide?

Good question ART_DECO

Anthropology encompasses a grander selection of studies in the humanities which includes sociology .....

I'm aware of that, but the specific areas you cited in the OP seemed more sociological than the broader anthropological, which can include the physical. Nor did I think you were going into the cultural, but if you are, fine.

RJ & the Internet phenomena would be a great study in sociology, cultural anthropology, cultural relativism, ethnography & ethnology .....

i think so to. I've been checking out sites today about our new refugee boat people legislation. Im finding it incredible that so many people have no empathy at all for these people arriving here, that is online. Yet IRL people are far more tolerant and empathetic.

ART_DECO saidWhy call it an anthropological divide, as opposed to a sociological divide?

Good question ART_DECO

Anthropology encompasses a grander selection of studies in the humanities which includes sociology .....

I'm aware of that, but the specific areas you cited in the OP seemed more sociological than the broader anthropological, which can include the physical. Nor did I think you were going into the cultural, but if you are, fine.

RJ & the Internet phenomena would be a great study in sociology, cultural anthropology, cultural relativism, ethnography & ethnology .....

i think so to. I've been checking out sites today about our new refugee boat people legislation. Im finding it incredible that so many people have no empathy at all for these people arriving here, that is online. Yet IRL people are far more tolerant and empathetic.

KJSharp saidSpgem, you would enjoy reading Hans Urs von Balthasar's Theo-Drama I: Prologema, in which he lays the dramatic foundations for his subsequent portrayal of the relationship between man and God as a Play in volumes 2-5. In the Prologema, he discusses every single one of the issues you raised. I think he was probably the smartest man of the 20th century, so his thoughts are well worth a glance. Additionally, in his book "Love Alone is Credible," he defends the thesis that our encounters with other men and God are miracles that we are unable to claim for ourselves and subsume into ourselves.

I will warn you, though - his books aren't for the feint of heart. He is clear and a master of language, but he assumes a great familiarity with Western thought, from Plato to the present day. I have a bit of a difficult time with it because I'm less fluent in the history of western Drama, and he discusses dramatists from every era, and I'm only well-acquainted with the Greek tragedians.

Yes many times and I have realised that if I am not in a position to help them or do anything about the situation then I am just exhausting myself emotionally and may be even physically and financially. I am usually better off when I am the focus of my life.

ricky1987 saidYes many times and I have realised that if I am not in a position to help them or do anything about the situation then I am just exhausting myself emotionally and may be even physically and financially. I am usually better off when I am the focus of my life.

U can be a good Samaritan just by doing volunteer service to help those in need .....